The Things He Does
by YoureMyFavoritex
Summary: She always knew there was a reason why she loved him. JoeStella. JONAS.


**This was supposed to be a drabble. Obviously it's not. I'm thinking I just don't do well with small amounts of writing. I just have to go and go and go. Oh well. I was pleased, I think. Song lyric from Dakota by A Rocket to the Moon. Such a good song. Anyways, hope you enjoy! Please excuse any typos or grammar errors, I wrote this from 12 to 2 in the morning and have no energy left to proof read, haha.**

**Disclaimer: same old, same old.**

**also, Warning: so much cheesiness. SO MUCH CHEESINESS. haha. good cheesy. but still. cheesy. don't let that push you away! it's the best kind of cheesy. hahaha.  
**

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_it's the way you do the things you do _

_that make me fall in love with you_

_-__Dakota__, A Rocket to the Moon_

It was the way his self confidence surpassed any fear that ever crossed her mind.

"_Stella, the swings are waitin'!"_

_Five year old Stella Malone shook her head, giggling as she following the energetic young boy through the neighborhood playground. "Joe, we already went on the swings! Plus…" The tiny blonde chewed on her lower lip, anxiety flashing across her wide brown eyes. "I don't like the swings."_

_Her voice was low as a whisper, but Joseph Lucas whipped around, his expression bright with amusement. "Why wouldn't ya like the swings? They're awesome! We can ev'n have a swing jumpin' contest!" _

_Stella's eyes grew even wider, and she shook her head more definitively. "Joe, I don't wanna. Mommy says it's danj'rus."_

"_Psh," Joe scoffed, continuing towards the equipment in question. "They're fine. C'mon, Stel ." He turned and reached out a hand to her, her dainty fingers curling tightly around his calloused boy-hands. "I'll protect you, Stella!" he exclaimed, pulling her along the pathway. "I promise." As the reached the swing set the young boy stopped, taking a deep breath and looking into his best friend's eyes. "I'm awesome at this. I'll teach you. You won't fall."_

_A hesitant smile slowly found its way onto Stella's face, and she nodded, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. "Okay, Joe." Joe's grin grew even bigger, and his grip on her tiny hand tightened as they continued to the swings. _

It was the way his fingers brushed through his hair at the slightest hint of an awkward situation.

"_I can't believe I let you talk me into this," thirteen year old Joe grumbled, reaching up to touch whatever hair he was left with before feeling a sharp slap against his hand. _

"_No touching, Joe. Not 'til I'm done." Stella moved to stand in front of the young boy, and with one last _snip_ of the scissors, she took a step back, smiling uncomfortably. "Okay… You, uhm, you can look, I guess…" _

"_Why don't you look more pleased?" Joe asked suspiciously, afraid to turn to face the mirror. _

"_Maybe, uh, maybe… Maybe hair isn't my profession. Maybe I should stick with fashion."_

_Joe swallowed noisily and slowly allowed his chair to turn and face the mirror. Stella cringed, waiting for the loud exclamation, waiting for a classic Joe Lucas outburst. _

_It never came. She opened her eyes slowly, afraid as to what would greet her. Joe had his head tilted to one side, examining his hairstyle carefully._

_Stella had definitely left her mark, that's for sure. Joe had only ever had his mother cut his hair before, and as much as he loved her, he was done with the straight lines and bowl-like characteristics of his previous hairstyles. Stella's look was a lot more… Him. It was quirky, with random layers and bangs that cut across his forehead slightly. She had put just a little bit of "product," as she called it, in his hair, and he allowed his hands to rake through it, gathering it in a faux-hawk of sorts. "I love it, Stel."_

"_Really?" Stella seemed shocked, and he raised an eyebrow, nodded emphatically. "Why wouldn't I? It's different, and awesome. I love it. I mean, I don't know what Mom's gonna think… She never was good with change."_

_Stella giggled, nodding, but before she could say a word, the door to the bathroom swung open and Mrs. Lucas stood, framed in the open doorway. "Joseph, have you seen my…" She trailed off, gasping as she caught sight of her son, her little boy, with a haircut _obviously_ not meant for little boys. _

_Joe grinned sheepishly, his fingers running nervously through his short locks. "So Mom, Stella and I were talking earlier…"_

It was the way he made her feel as if she was his number one priority, never putting his own needs before hers.

"_Stupid chemistry," Joe muttered, slamming his textbook closed. He had a test the next morning, but every piece of information he attempted to squeeze into his mind somehow found a way to slip right back out once he turned the page. He sighed loudly, knowing that this was important, and reached to open his book again when he was interrupted by the vibrating of his phone in his pants pocket. He pulled it out, grinning at the name flashing across the screen. "Hey you," he greeted happily, holding the phone up to his ear._

"_Joe?" The voice on the other end of the phone didn't sound an eighth as upbeat as it normally did, and Joe sat up straight, his hand already reaching to grab his coat. "Stella, what's wrong?" He was out his bedroom door, hurriedly buttoning his jacket before she attempted to cough out a response. "Joe, they're my parents, they've always been together. I thought they were happy…" The statement seemed to bring on an onslaught of tears, and Joe winced, wishing he was with her at that very moment, and not five minutes down the road. "I'll be there as soon as I can, Stel. 'Til then, talk to me. About anything, Stella, just talk to me." He nodded at his mother, smiled sadly back at her son, having been able to hear his side of the conversation. "Just be home before curfew," she mouthed, and he nodded again, slipping out the front door._

"_I'm coming, Stella," he told her firmly. "Hold on, I'm coming."_

It was the way his lips seemed eager to greet her every morning, but his eyes showcased that desire even more.

_Stella reached into her locker, nodding every few minutes to show that she was listening, as Macy continued her story about how she "totally creamed" the visiting girls softball team. The two were about to walk down the hall together towards second period when the front doors of the school bust open and the three Lucas brothers stumbled through, tearing off their cold weather clothing. _

"_Kevin, I _told_ you we didn't have time to stop and look for chipmunks. Jeez, it's the middle of winter!" Nick exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air in frustration, nearly losing his hat in the process._

_Kevin began to respond, but Stella tuned them out, her eyes landing on the middle Lucas. He grinned at her, taking a few long strides before her met her, his arms wrapping instinctively around her waist as his lips traveled quickly to close the distance between his face and hers. He pressed against her slightly, one hand sliding up her body to her back, then her neck, and finally, her cheek, cupping it softly and rubbing his thumb slowly against her jawline. His lips pressed into hers fervently, and she smiled into the kiss, grabbing his jacket collar to pull him closer to her._

"_Hey," he whispered, pulling away. His breath tickled her nose and cheeks, her eyes still shut in satisfied bliss. "I missed you."_

"_You saw me yesterday," she retorted softly, her eyes finally finding the power to flutter open softly. _

"_I know," he replied. She finally locked eyes with him, and the twinkling excitement in his eyes surprised her, causing a sudden intake of breath. He chuckled, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Don't mean I didn't, though."_

It was the way he let his head drop onto her lap during all night movie marathons, curling up close and doodling circles on her often bare knees.

"_I don't know why you want to watch this movie. Of all movies?" Joe shook his head, popcorn bowl in hand as he approached the couch and sat down next to Stella, who was reading the back of the DVD case. "Oh, shut up Joseph. You know you love __A Walk to Remember__ just as much as I do." Joe rolled his eyes, quickly grabbing a handful of the buttery popcorn and shoving it in his mouth, crumbs flying as he chewed. _

"_Ew." Stella deadpanned, staring him down. "Let's keep those lips together, shall we? I'd rather not have popcorn spit all over me, thanks." Joe glared mockingly at her, and she giggled, grabbing his non-buttery hand in her own. "Come on, Joe, let's just start the movie."_

_An hour and a half later, Joe was laying across the couch, feet dangling off the end and his head resting comfortably on her thighs. He eyes were glued to the television, watching as story continued to unfold. Stella smiled happily, looking down at the teenager cuddled up with her, and she laced her fingers through his hair, allowing her nails to slowly trail across his scalp. He let out a sigh, and she felt his lips purse against her as he tilted his head to place a soft, lingering kiss against her knee before pulling back and replacing his lips with his fingers. He traced the kiss with his index finger softly, carefully, before splaying his hand across both knees, pictures forming in his mind and coming out through his fingertips. _

_Stella's smile grew, and she withheld a shudder that Joe's soft, intimate-feeling touch had send shooting though her, and she turned back to the movie. _

It was the way his arms tightened their hold on her before they released, giving her that one extra moment of complete contentment.

"_Hey youuuu!" Joe grinned, turning around and opening his arms wide. "You made it!"_

"_Of course I did, silly. There's no way I was going to miss the first play of your new album!" Stella laughed, allowing herself to be enveloped by Joe's long arms. They wrapped around her and she reciprocated, her hands traveling around his torso and gripping the thin fabric of his t-shirt._

_Joe's grin grew, and he rested his chin on the top of her head for a moment, before tilting his head down and leaving a few sprinkled kisses across the top of her head. They stood there for a moment, the silence surrounding them comfortably, before Joe leaned down to be closer to her ear. "So you want to hear it?"_

_Stella nodded excitedly, and moved to pull away, but Joe's arms stopped her. They tightened, pulling her even closer to him for but a moment before he released her. "Then let's go," he continued, reaching down and grabbing her hand, and he led her into the sound booth, their fingers tightly intertwined. _

It was the way his hand stretched to grasp her fingers tightly as he walked away, keeping contact for as long as possible.

"_I wish you didn't have to go," Stella mumbled, her mouth muffled by the way it was pressed up tightly against the neckline of Joe's shirt. He stroked her hair slowly, wishing he knew what to ay to make this easier. But there was nothing he _could _say to make it easier—for either of them. _

_Stella had always come on tour with JONAS, that's just how it was done. Even before Stella became the official stylist, she accompanied the band as it just started out, traveling from tiny club to tiny club in Mr. Lucas's crappy blue van. But now Stella had dreams of her own, and she was accomplishing them. Although she was still the full-time stylist of the boys, she also was well into her second year at New York's FIT. Her fashions were already beginning to crop up in "Star Tracks" and the fact that JONAS exclusively wore Stella Malone gave her a huge stepping stone in the fashion world._

_But none of that mattered right now. Now, now it only hurt her more. Instead of being able to take off with JONAS on their whirlwind, 25-state, month-long tour, she was forced to remain at home, continuing work on her final presentation for the year. It was the first time she had been away from the Lucas boys, Joe in particular, for a week, much less an entire month. She shook her head into his chest and he held her tighter to him, leaning against the big tour bus for support. _

"_Shh, shh," he comforted, rubbing her back in slow, deliberate circles. "It's gonna be fine. I'm gonna see you so soon, you won't even be able to believe it."_

_She looked up at him, her bottom lip quivering, spelling out imminent tears. "Oh, Stel." He pulled her up against him once more, whispering comforting nothings through her tousled hair and against her ears until he heard his dad call from the steps of the bus. _

"_I've got to go, Stella. I'll call you real soon, okay?" Stella nodded, taking a step back and letting him out from against the bus. He leaned down, capturing her lips in a searing kiss, before turning to walk onto the bus. He held onto her hand, squeezing it meaningfully before he began taking his long steps up the stairs. He held tightly onto her hand, feeling his grip slip further and further until their fingers were just barely touching. He took one last look back, shouting "I love you Stella!" over his shoulder, and his hand finally lost hers, his feet carrying him up the last of the steps and around the corner, into the main seating area of the bus. He slid quickly into one of the booths, pressing his face up against the glass to catch one last glimpse of the blonde he had fallen so hard for. _

And now, it was the way he stumbled to his knee, his voice catching in his throat as he stuttered over a question that would change her entire world.

Yes, Stella Malone decided, unshed tears glistening, threatening to fall. It was these things, these things and more, that made her fall in love with Joe Lucas.

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**I hope you enjoyed the cute Jella moments! Kacy is still my favorite couple to write, but I've really been having some fun with Jella lately! Also, there should be a Nick oneshot coming out soon. I've heard good things about my Nick, and I want to try him out in the spotlight, see how he does. haha. **

**Please review and let me know what you thought! I seriously thrive on reviews. And I really would like to know your thoughts!**

**Also: you should totally follow me on Twitter: annakayh. I'm entertaining, and I tweet random things. it's funny to watch, really. ;) haha. **

**Thanks for reading!  
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